PhD EASTBIO Tactile skin sensing for health and wellbeing - Closing 15 Dec 2025

Skin is considered to be the largest sensory organ through which we have a strong tactile connection to the external world in tandem with a pain warning system to protect us from harm. This somatosensory system enables us to safely interact and richly experience the world and loved ones. The sense of touch is vital across the life course. It is required for physical, social and cognitive development and also sexual behaviours. The sense of touch is mediated by an array of specialised tactile nerve endings in the skin that relay information to tactile neural circuits in the spinal cord and brain. In addition, skin cells themselves are mechanosensitive and communicate with tactile neural circuits and contribute to tactile sensing.

Tactile and pain neural circuits dynamically interact to promote health and wellbeing. ‘Affective’ or ‘pleasant’ touch – such as the caress of a loved one can dampen the pain experience. Conversely, tissue injury can rapidly induce plasticity in peripheral and central neural circuits to drive neural cross talk so that touch close to an injured site drives a pain response. This adaptive tactile-evoked pain response promotes tissue healing by limiting potential infection that can occur through contact with injured tissue. 

The objective of this interdisciplinary project, is to study the mechanisms underlying this interplay between touch and pain from skin - peripheral - central neural circuits. The Torsney lab has revealed sex differences in pain detection systems and so it will be of interest to explore whether there are sex differences is these phenomena. The project will involve behavioural testing, anatomical and electrophysiological (ex vivo/in vivo) analysis of somatosensory circuits providing a broad research training experience. 

Further information about this project should be sought by emailing the lead supervisor Carole.Torsney@ed.ac.uk

Torsney lab website